11/8/07
Local Catholic church welcomes new priest
By Jerriod Grizzle

JERRIOD GRIZZLE/Manning Times

New priest David Whitman at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Manning.

David Whitman was not always a priest; in fact, it was never his intention to become one.

“I call it my reconversion,” he said. “I never strayed from the church but I never gave being a priest much thought.”

Whitman said that he did not plan to be a man of the cloth.

“As I felt God calling me, it became more clear what I should be and that is how I’m here,” he said.

A native of Lebanon, Penn., Whitman said that what led him to his calling started at home.

“I grew up around the Amish. There were three farms and one was Amish,” he explained. “They lived right beside us and as a little boy I was fascinated with their work ethic and what they did everyday not only practicing their faith but living their faith,” he said.

Whitman moved to South Carolina in 1994 to work for Colonial Life and Accident Insurance. He credited a co-worker for sparking his reawaking.

“This is where my faith journey really began,” he said. “One of my co-workers invited me to the Legion of Mary and my first thought was ‘Oh great, a bunch of old ladies sitting around praying and gossiping.’ But just as soon as I had said that, she told me, ‘it’s not a bunch of old ladies but just a number of mixed people,’” he said.

The Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of people in the Catholic Church. The organization has three million active members in almost every country of the world. It has been active in the United States since 1931, has been approved by the last six popes and was endorsed by the Second Vatican Council.

Members become instruments of the Holy Spirit through a balanced program of prayer and service. Their works include door-to-door visitation of the sick or aged, crowd contact, religious education and visiting the newly baptized.

“I started asking God what was it He wanted me to do with my life. And at that time I had a lot of things going for me. I had a management position opening up and a steady girlfriend,” he said. “Two people in a very short span of time told me that I would make a good priest. I thought ‘no, I’m not cut out for it, not me’ but the more I thought about it and saying no to the idea, I actually became more drawn to the idea of being a priest,” he said.

During his acceptance of becoming a priest, Whitman said that while his family and friends were very accepting, they were also hands off.

“My friends and family both left it up to me,” he said. “They were happy for me but at the same time understood that it was my life.”

Whitman attended St. Mary’s Seminary and University in 2000 in Baltimore. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a master’s in divinity.

Even in seminary Whitman and that no one is completely sure of where they are going or what they are doing.

“I had a good friend and mentor that told me that someone can never be 100 percent sure. That is what faith is all about. If you were completely sure you wouldn’t need faith,” he said.

Whitman first served at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia in 2005 and said that his experience there was really what prepared him to become a priest.

“When you first graduate, you are under someone else’s tutelage. You learn the everyday routine of being a priest, the day-to-day activities,” he said.

Whitman arrived in Clarendon County in August of 2007 and serves three parishes: Our Lady of Hope in Manning, St. Mary’s in Summerton and St. Anne’s in Santee.

Despite his schedule, Whitman said he couldn’t be happier and that he as learned some interesting things from serving three churches.

“All the churches are now mostly full and I’m thankful for that. I have learned though, through serving three parishes, that it is important not to spread yourself too thinly and to give each community the same attention. It’s important not to burn out,” he said.

Whitman conducts three masses every Sunday morning and the rest of Sunday he says is his.

“I have a 7 a.m. mass in Summerton, a 9 a.m. mass in Manning and an 11 a.m. mass in Santee. After all that you can usually find me at home asleep on the couch, watching a football game,” he said.

With the Manning parish less than two years old, Whitman said the church is growing by leaps and bounds. Growth is what the church really needs to be very successful in the community is time.

“We want to let people know we are here to stay,” he said. We will find our niche and set our place in the community.”